Dwarf Solomon's seal
Polygonatum humile · Asparagaceae
A miniature Solomon's seal: short, upright stems of neat, ribbed leaves with small white bells beneath, spreading into a dense little colony.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early May to early June
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around dwarf Solomon's seal
The planner designed this bed around dwarf Solomon's seal when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf Solomon's seal stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf Solomon's seal × 23, white
- 2 Bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' × 5, pink
- 3 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 3, pink
- 4 Korean feather reed grass × 1, pink
- 5 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 3, green
- 6 Japanese forest grass 'All Gold' × 3, chartreuse leaves
- 7 Yellow trout lily × 5, yellow
- 8 Hardy cyclamen × 6, pink
Why this plant
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 8 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 64% of the edge.
- 23 plants in 6 runs (5, 5, 5, 3, 3 and 2). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From early May to early June.
- In company. With bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' in early May: 2 kinds at once.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 49% of the visual weight and the right half 51%. Dwarf Solomon's seal repeats along the bed to tie it together.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf Solomon's seal goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
A carpet of tiny upright stems makes a fine texture beneath larger shade plants. It spreads steadily but slowly.
- Small-scale groundcover for shade
- Edging a woodland path
- With miniature hostas
What to plant with dwarf Solomon's seal
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- European wild ginger: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about dwarf Solomon's seal
Does dwarf Solomon's seal need sun or shade?
Dwarf Solomon's seal grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does dwarf Solomon's seal grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does dwarf Solomon's seal flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to early June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Early May to early June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 7 | Late April to late May |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to late May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should dwarf Solomon's seal be planted?
10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf Solomon's seal plants do I need?
At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 55 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used 23 in six groups.
Is dwarf Solomon's seal poisonous to dogs?
Yes: mild toxicity to people and dogs. The berries can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
It is not recorded as toxic to cats, but it is to people.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like dwarf Solomon's seal?
These come closest to doing what dwarf Solomon's seal does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Sweet woodruff: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; fine leaves, not medium.
- Foamflower: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour.
- Strawberry begonia: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; keeps its leaves in winter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat dwarf Solomon's seal?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after dwarf Solomon's seal?
Dwarf Solomon's seal is over by early June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': from early June to early October, 18 in tall.
What does dwarf Solomon's seal look like in winter?
Dwarf Solomon's seal dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Polygonatum
- Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- Variegated Solomon's seal Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum 'Variegatum'
In these guides
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 in (25 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early May to early June; hanging bells; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Comes from
- East Kazakhstan to Japan
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.